Hardwood Floors E-News - 9/5/2006

Bonnie Holmes, who was NWFA’s first employee when it was founded in 1985, will retire at the end of September. She was instrumental in establishing the NWFA’s first convention, first technical training school and first business-management school. "Bonnie has served the NWFA in a variety of capacities during the past two decades. She possesses a wealth of information about our industry that will be missed by many. Her contributions will not be forgotten," says NWFA Executive Director/CEO, Ed Korczak.

"It amazes me to know and to have worked with the many individuals who have volunteered throughout the years to serve the NWFA," Holmes says, adding, "I hope each of them received as much personal satisfaction as I did watching the NWFA grow and become better every day for the past 20 years."

The NWFA is putting together an industry scrapbook for Holmes. To contribute photos, please send copies to Ed Korczak by mail to NWFA, 111 Chesterfield Industrial Blvd., Chesterfield, MO 63005, or by e-mail at [email protected].

The NWFA held an Intermediate Installation, Sand and Finish School August 23-25 at its training center in St. Louis. NWFA Technical Director Steve Seabaugh led the instruction of 57 students with Assistant Director of Technical Training Rusty Swindoll. Volunteer instructors included: Chris Livingston and Jim Schumacher, 3M; Tony T. Pastrana, Armstrong Floor Products NA; Rob Johnson and Leonard Chapman, Basic Coatings; Brett Ker and Dee Lenston, BonaKemi USA Inc.; Ralph Brookens, Brookens Wood Floors Inc.; Bryan Fussell, Clarke American Sanders; William Costello, Dura Seal; Alan Blake, ElkCorp; Roger H. Barker, Fortifiber Building Systems Group; Cameron Demar and Lon Vaughn, Glitsa American Inc.; Nick Motto, Motto’s Carpet Inc.; David Mansfield, Norton Abrasives; Tom Peotter, Oshkosh Designs; Johannes Boonstra, Synteko Floor Finishes; Karl Stafflinger, Virginia Abrasives Corporation; and Bob Goldstein, Wood Flooring International Inc.

Lägler (Güglingen, Germany) is celebrating its 50th anniversary by producing 600 commemorative Gold Edition Hummels. Each machine comes with a miniature gold-colored Hummel, and purchasers are entered in a drawing to win one of five flip-edge and corner-standing machines. For more information, visit www.laegler.com.

BonaKemi USA (Aurora, Colo.) has added Spanish services to its technical support line. Darin Nesline, Bona’s bilingual technical support and training representative, is available at 866/247-7997 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST. Messages can be left in the Spanish tech-support voicemail at 800/872-5515, ext. 206, or e-mailed to [email protected].

Ridgefield Industries (Crystal Lake, Ill.) has opened a 36,000-square-foot distribution center. The new facility serves contractors in the northwestern region of Illinois and southern Wisconsin. For more information, contact Dan Hanley or Jake Mitchell at 800/569-0316 or at [email protected].

FN Neuhofer Holz (Zell am Moos, Austria) has been awarded the Pegasus Prize, an annual business award given to the top 10 companies of northern Austria.

Blake-Stevens Wood Flooring Inc. (Pewaukee, Wis.) held its second annual Tool Days event August 21-23 and 25 for its Wisconsin locations in Pewaukee, Madison, Hudson and Kaukauna. Representatives from BonaKemi USA, Clarke American Sanders, Powernail, Crain, Bostitch and Festool were on-site to provide free service for equipment, demonstrate products and answer questions. More than 85 machines were repaired, and door prizes were awarded to Tillman’s Wood Flooring (Three Lakes, Wis.), Baseman Brothers (Germantown, Wis.), TJM Design (Menomonie, Wis.), Cross Country Floors (Dousman, Wis.) and Teigen Wood Floors (Madison, Wis.).

Erickson Decorating Products Inc. (Chicago) held a Grand Opening sale August 5 at its new Bolingbrook, Ill., distributor warehouse. The event was sponsored by 3M, Aacer Flooring, Absolute Coatings, Barnes Hardwood, Basic Coatings, BonaKemi, Cherrybark, Clarke American Sanders, Dura Seal, Festool, Malette International, Künzle and Tasin, Lägler, Maxwell Hardwood, NewParks, Norton Abrasives, Oneida Vac Systems, Owens Flooring, Powernail, Stanley Bostitch, United Gilsonite Labs and Woodwise. The new mailing address is Erickson Decorating Products Inc., 490 W. North Frontage Road, Bolingbrook, IL 60440; the phone number is 630/771-0707; the fax number is 630/633-5230; and the Web site is www.onlinefloorstore.com.

Owens Forest Products (Shawano, Wis.) has appointed Tom Frank president and CEO and member of the board of directors. Former president Bob Owens is now chairman of the board.

Stauf USA (Memphis, Tenn.) has hired Alex Rivera for West Coast sales, marketing and training. Rivera has more than 21 years’ experience in the hardwood flooring industry and most recently worked for Capella Hardwood Floors.

BonaKemi USA has named John Fairbanks Southeast regional contractor manager responsible for training contractors and distributors in Florida, southern Georgia and southern Alabama.

Koetter Woodworking Inc. (Borden, Ind.), parent company of Kentucky Wood Floors (Louisville, Ky.), has appointed Randell C. Eldridge general manager of Kentucky Wood Floors.

Millwork Depot, div. of Link Lumber Company (Shakopee, Minn.) has hired Paul Ostlund, formerly of Above All Hardwood Floors, as general manager. He can be contacted at 952/403-6812.

Timeless Wood Floors (Villa Rica, Ga.) has appointed Courtney Burns sales associate. She can be reached at 678/773-3967 or 770/356-2533.

The co-founders of Powernail Company (Lake Zurich, Ill.), Carl and Edgar Anstett, have been inducted posthumously into the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association Hall of Fame.

Wood flooring shipments for July 2006 totaled 38,927,000 square feet, according to NOFMA: The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association. This is a 9 percent decrease compared with the same month last year and brings the year-to-date shipments to 299,229,000 square feet, a 1 percent increase over the same time period in 2005. The NOFMA data is from hardwood flooring manufacturers in the U.S., corresponding to actual figures from a majority of the known producing units, plus projections representing units for which actual data is occasionally provided or not provided. The flooring shipments reported include solid prefinished and unfinished oak, beech, birch, maple, hickory/pecan, ash, cherry and walnut.

Remodeling activity slowed in the second quarter of 2006, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodeling Market Index (RMI). The current market conditions index decreased from 48.1 in the first quarter of 2006 to 45.6 in the second quarter, and future expectations dropped from 48.9 to 43.5. The RMI for owner-occupied units fell from 53.8 to 49.0 for the same time period.

New residential sales of single-family houses in July 2006 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,072,000 units, according to the U. S. Commerce Department. This is 4.3 percent below the revised June rate of 1,120,000 units and 21.6 percent below the July 2005 estimate of 1,367,000.

The International Profit Associates Small Business Research Board Construction/Contractor Confidence Index fell nearly 40 percent from 49.3 in May to 30.7 in August. This board researches the opinions of small-business owners and managers on a variety of topics related to their businesses to determine the outlook of certain industry sects.

Leica Geosystems (Norcross, Ga.) has opened its online store at www.buy.leica-geosystems.com.

The NWFA will hold an Expert Sand and Finish School October 9-11 at its training facility in St. Louis. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.nwfa.org.

The National Association of Home Builders, in conjunction with the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans, is hosting a Housing Solutions Summit September 29-30 at the Ernest Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. This summit gives companies an opportunity to display products and services to professionals rebuilding New Orleans.

The Australian Timber Flooring Association will hold an open forum for the Australian timber industry October 18 in Melbourne. For more information, e-mail [email protected].

The dates for the China Wood International Conference in Shanghai have changed from November 7-10 to November 8-11. For more information, visit www.chinawood.org/english/conference/2006floor.asp.

Syracuse Commercial Floors (East Syracuse, N.Y.) is looking for experienced hardwood flooring installers/finishers and has crew leader and technician positions available. Relocation is not required, but travel is. The company offers wages plus travel pay, paid hotels and per diem. Tools and a truck are supplied. For more information, call 315/414-0355, fax 315/414-0369 or e-mail [email protected].

Weaber Flooring (Lebanon, Pa.) is seeking an experienced sales representative for northern New Jersey and New York City for unfinished hardwood flooring and related hardwood products. Résumés should be mailed to Weaber Inc., Attn.: Human Resources Assistant, 1231 Mt. Wilson Road, Lebanon, PA 17042; faxed to 717/867-2338; or e-mailed to [email protected].

Every contractor wants to increase profitability. Learn how to accomplish this most efficiently with NWFA’s Contractor Profit Report, Setting Profit Priorities. Dr. Al Bates explains how very small improvements in pricing and buying can increase profits significantly. In one example, he shows how raising prices on every job by 1 percent can increase dollar profits by 31.5 percent, while raising the number of jobs by 1 percent would increase dollar profits by only 8.5 percent. The report is available online at www.nwfa.org. Click on "Services and Supplies," select "Statistical Reports," and click on "Profit Improvement Reports." For more information, contact the NWFA by phone at 800/422-4556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international) or by e-mail at [email protected].